As an engineer I’m constantly spotting problems and plotting how to solve them.
There is no such thing as a quantum leap. There is only dogged persistence – and in the end you make it look like a quantum leap.
Successes teach you nothing. Failures teach you everything. Making mistakes is the most important thing you can do.
Stumbling upon the next great invention in an ‘ah-ha!’ moment is a myth.
The way the world is going, it’s technology driven. And it isn’t just driven by the old super powers, it’s driven by the far east and new emerging economies.
Failure is so much more interesting because you learn from it. That’s what we should be teaching children at school, that being successful the first time, there’s nothing in it. There’s no interest, you learn nothing actually.
I imported the first Mac into England in 1984; you know, the beige box. I imported what I think were the first four that came into England. I never opened the instruction manual. That was the best thing about it.
We have to change our culture so you can create wealth from making things and don’t just try to make money out of money.
When I started off, I was working in a shed behind my house. All I had was a drill, an electric drill. That was the only machine I had.
If you invent something, you’re doing a creative act. It’s like writing a novel or composing music. You put your heart and soul into it, and money. It’s years of your life, it’s your house remortgaged, huge emotional investment and financial investment.
When decisions on nuclear power stations and runways are delayed and the government dilly-dallies, people think they aren’t important.
I learned that the moment you want to slow down is the moment you should accelerate.
We need to encourage investors to invest in high-technology startups.
There’s nothing wrong with things taking time.
The Web is fascinating and transformative, but it’s an easy, flashy, get-rich-quick option to the hard graft of proper industry.
The one size fits all approach of standardized testing is convenient but lazy.
The media thinks that you have to make science sexy and concentrate on themes such as rivalry and the human issues.
Learning by trial and error, or experimentation, can be exciting, the lessons learned deeply engrained. Learning by failure is a remarkably good way of gaining knowledge. Failure is to be welcomed rather than avoided. It is a part of learning. It should not be feared by the engineer or scientist or indeed by anyone else.
Research is about conducting experiments, accepting and even enjoying failures, but going on and on, following a theory garnered from observing the science. Invention is often more about endurance and patient observation than brainwaves.
Invention is often more about endurance and patient observation than brainwaves.
Stamina and determination along with creativity are needed in overcoming seemingly impossible difficulties in research and other challenges in life.